Wasp Nest Removal
Same-Day Wasp Nest Removal in Portland, Oregon, Even If You Have No Idea What's Nesting
Send me a photo, or just tell me which corner of the house they're flying into. I'll identify it, quote it before I start, and deal with the nest. Most wasp nests get treated; a reachable one can sometimes come off physically instead, and I'll tell you which yours is.
- Same-day service available
- Licensed Commercial Pesticide Operator
- Quoted before any work begins
Same-day wasp nest removal in Portland, Oregon, quoted before I start
Wasp nest removal is quoted on site before I touch anything, and I can usually get out the same day across the Portland metro when my schedule allows. You don't need to identify anything before you call. Text a photo of the insect or the nest, or just tell me which corner of the house they're flying into, and I'll tell you what it is before I get in the truck.
- Text a photo to (206) 817-7782 and I'll name the species, usually the same day you send it.
- Quoted on site. Where it lands depends on how high and how reachable the nest is. You get the number before I touch anything.
- Most nests get treated. Where one is reachable enough to lift off whole, I will, and I say up front which yours is.
- Yellow Jackets, paper wasps, bald-faced hornets, and the things people call wasps that turn out to be bees.
The four things people mean when they call me about wasps
Yellow Jackets going in and out of one hole
A steady stream of insects vanishing into one small opening in the lawn, the foundation, or the siding. The nest is out of sight and bigger than the entrance suggests. These are the most defensive wasps around Portland homes, which is why yellow jacket removal has a page of its own.
An open comb under an eave or porch ceiling
If you can stand underneath and see the hexagonal cells, those are paper wasps. The colony stays small and hangs from a single stalk. They're calm compared to yellow jackets and often worth leaving alone, as I explain on the paper wasp removal page.
A gray paper football hanging from a branch or an eave
Bald-faced hornets build the enclosed gray nest people picture when they hear hornet, hung from a branch, a soffit, or the underside of an eave. High in a tree away from foot traffic, it can stay put until frost ends it. Over a gate or a play structure, it comes down. More on the bald-faced hornet removal page.
Something fuzzy that turns out to be a bee
Wasps are smooth and shiny with a pinched waist and legs that trail in flight. Bees are round and fuzzy. The difference changes the job entirely: a wasp nest gets destroyed, while with a honey bee or bumble bee colony I try to move it instead, and I'll tell you honestly whether the spot makes that realistic.
Still not sure? That's the normal call, not the embarrassing one. Text a photo to (206) 817-7782.
What it takes to lift a wasp nest off whole, and why most of them don't come off that way
When a nest is reachable and out in the open, it can leave as an object rather than being treated in place. That is the exception, not the routine, and access is what decides it.
- 1
You send a photo and I identify it
Species and nest type decide everything after this. A comb under a porch and a colony inside a wall are two different jobs at two different prices.
- 2
I find the real nest, not the hole you noticed
On site I follow the flight path back. One gap in the siding often leads to a nest sitting on the insulation two feet away. Access decides whether the nest can come off whole or has to be treated where it sits, and you hear which one it is with the price before anything starts.
- 3
The nest comes off in one piece
In a suit, with the approach matched to whatever the nest and the hour actually are. I take the call and go, so this often happens in the middle of the day rather than at some ideal moment. Aerial nests get bagged and cut free. Combs get lifted off the stalk. The nest leaves with me.
- 4
The site gets cleared and closed up
An empty nest still smells like a nest, and a proven site is what next spring's queens go looking for. I clear the residue and point out the gaps worth sealing before March.
- 5
If it can't be done cleanly, you hear that too
Some nests sit where nobody reaches them without opening a wall. Pulling out part of a nest and leaving the colony behind is worse than not starting, and I'll say so first.
What Licensed Commercial Pesticide Operator actually means, and when I still reach for a product
Both phrases turn up on pest control websites all over the metro and almost nobody explains them, so here are mine. In Oregon, any business making pesticide applications for hire has to hold a Commercial Pesticide Operator license from the Oregon Department of Agriculture: insurance, registration with ODA, and at least one employee holding a Commercial Pesticide Applicator license, earned by passing a laws and safety exam plus category exams. I work alone, so both of those are me.
I'd rather take a nest out physically than treat it, and on the right nest that's what happens. I won't oversell it though. On most of the wasp calls I get, a product is what actually finishes the colony, and a page promising otherwise would just be setting you up for a different conversation in your driveway.
Lifting a nest off whole works when I can treat it as an object: a paper wasp comb under an eave, a small nest in a shrub or a reachable corner of a shed. Early in the season, when a nest is golf ball sized, more of them come out this way.
It stops being an option once the nest is inside something, which is where most of them are. A colony deep in a wall void, under a concrete step, or four feet down a burrow can't be lifted out without demolition or digging. Those get a targeted application at the entrance, placed where the colony carries it rather than sprayed across your yard. That is the normal outcome of a wasp call, and it is the honest one.
What to do about a wasp nest while you're waiting on me
Most of the stings I hear about happen in the hours between noticing a nest and getting it dealt with.
Worth doing
- Mark the spot and give it a wide berth. A cone or a chair stops someone walking through the flight path.
- Reroute the kids and the dog to a different door for a day.
- Take the photo from a distance and zoom in. Your phone gets closer than you should.
- Pause the mowing and hedge trimming nearby. Vibration sets off most ground nests.
Worth skipping
- Don't plug or spray a hole in your siding. Wasps in a wall find another way out, and it's often on the inside.
- Don't knock a nest down with a hose, a pole, or a tennis racket. That works in videos, not on ladders.
- Don't work a nest at midday. Much of the colony is out foraging, so you take the risk without the result.
- Don't stand on a ladder for this, and don't burn a nest out. Falls and eave fires both beat stings for damage.
The Portland, Oregon wasp year, and what to do in spring so there's no nest in August
Every nest you see in August started as one queen in March. The cheapest removal of the year happens while the nest is walnut sized.
- March to April
One queen, shopping for a site
Overwintered queens come out looking for somewhere to build, so this is prevention month. Close the openings: torn vent and crawlspace screens, gaps where siding meets trim, holes at hose bibs and dryer vents, loose flashing. Knock last year's combs off the eaves.
- May to June
The nests are small and easy
The queen is raising her first workers and the nest is golf ball sized. This is the cheapest version of the job, and the point in the year when a nest is most likely to come off whole.
- July
The colony gets loud
Workers are numerous and the nest expands fast, going from tennis ball to basketball in a few weeks. This is when most people first notice one.
- August to September
Peak wasps, peak stings
Yellow Jackets are most active through the hot, dry end of summer, and OSU notes they get more aggressive into fall as the colony's adults begin to die off. Natural food thins out and yellow jackets turn up at your plate. This is my busiest stretch of the year, so call early.
- October to November
Frost does most of the work
The colony dies off with the cold and the nest is never reused. If a nest is harmless where it is and nobody is getting stung, waiting for frost is a real option.
Spring prevention is most of what the quarterly Complete Insect Protection plan does, and it is offered to West Linn, Lake Oswego and Oregon City clients.
What wasp nest removal costs around Portland, Oregon, and how to get a number today
There is no set price, and here is why that is the honest answer: a nest on a reachable eave and a colony inside a wall are different amounts of work. I quote on site before anything gets touched. A simple nest sits at the cheap end of what I do, and where a job goes above that, you will know why first.
Pricing
You get a quote before any work begins
Call or message me for a quote. Send a photo to (206) 817-7782 and I can usually price it without a visit.
Call or text (206) 817-7782How high and how reachable the nest is
A comb I can reach standing up is the low end. Thirty feet up, on a steep roof, or behind a soffit that has to come apart is more time and risk.
Whether the nest is visible or hidden
A nest I can see is straightforward. A colony inside a wall, under a step, or down a burrow takes time to locate, and finding it is half the job.
Species and colony size
A paper wasp colony of forty is not a late-August yellow jacket nest of several thousand. Bigger colonies mean more time on site and more care.
How many nests, and what else needs doing
Three nests in one visit costs less per nest than three separate trips, and the same goes for adding ant or spider work while I'm there.
A discounted rate applies when several services are booked together. Want a number before I come out? Text a photo and the location to (206) 817-7782.
When I'll tell you to leave the wasp nest where it is
I don't take every job I get called to, and that's deliberate. A bald-faced hornet nest twenty feet up a fir at the back of the lot, away from the path and the play structure, isn't hurting anyone. The colony dies with the first hard frost and the nest is never used again, and I'll tell you that on the phone.
Same for a paper wasp comb on a shed corner nobody walks past, since paper wasps spend the summer hunting caterpillars off your garden. A swarm of honey bees on a branch often moves on by itself, which is why honey bee removal and relocation starts with whether the swarm is staying. A bumble bee colony under a shed in late summer is already winding down.
What I won't do is tell you a nest over the front door, at the corner of the deck, or inside the wall your kid sleeps against is fine. Those come out. The value of asking me is an answer you can trust in both directions.
I'm based in West Linn and my one-time services cover the full Portland metro. I work alone, so the person who answers the phone is the person who shows up. Call or text (206) 817-7782, send a photo, and I'll tell you what you're dealing with.
Google reviews
What Portland, Oregon homeowners say after the job
5.0 from 25 Google reviews
Read them on GoogleSam came out the day after I called and had predicted the situation correctly when we chatted on the phone. He was able to get rid of the yellow jackets and even helped with an ant issue we had. Super nice and knowledgeable!
Erin Dhruva Great service, fast response!
Alex Ramberg Sam was great. He was able to come out same day and take care of the yellow jackets living in our siding. He's efficient and professional. Highly recommend!
Susan Thomsen Before calling Sam, I was told by a “professional” Pest service that the infiltrators getting through my siding were honeybees. The bees were quite visible through my window, but we’re misidentified. Fortunately, I called Sam and he corr...
Patty Rissberger I called Sam to help with a yellow jacket hive in an exterior wall of my house. He communicated quickly over text, made an appointment for the same day, arrived when he said he would, and answered all of the questions I had. He treated t...
Sarah H Sam was great. He ended up coming the same day and removing a yellow jacket nest for us. I would highly recommend him to anyone!!
Tori Phillps From start to finish Sam was professional and easy to work with, he was knowledgeable and friendly and well prepared! It was a much more enjoyable experience to work with Sam than calling a big named exterminator. Sam was honest and fair...
Tamsyn Cox Sam was great! Successful wasp removal, easy communication, quick work. Would call again if needed.
Jen P Sam was outstanding to work with! We had a huge hive return to a spot in our attic that had been previously cleared a year earlier. I called Sam on a Tuesday and he came out the next morning! He worked quickly and efficiently to remove t...
Brian Odell I called Sam and was on a job and about done for the day and I explained my situation and he went out of his way and gave me a time he would be here and he was right on time. Did a Sunday removal of a wasps nest on my front porch and onc...
Michael puderbaugh Called Sam and he answered right away. He was able to come out within a few hours and took care of a large yellow jacket nest that had been built in a fern bush next to my driveway where we walk to get into the back gate and garage. He w...
Diana Lu Sam arrived quickly, day of, to save us from an aggressive hornets nest. Sam knew exactly the hornet before even having eyes on it and was communicative and helpful. The experience was much easier than trying to deal with some others in...
Katheryn Hayward We discovered a wasp nest in a planter in our back yard yesterday (and got stung 3 times, ouch!) and called Sam this morning. He was able to come out a few hours later and eradicate the nest. He was thoughtful, knowledgeable, and just a...
Hans Nolf Sam was awesome! Our Tennant texted us late Sunday night stating her heard buzzing in the walls, and Sam was able to come take a look the next day! He is clearly very knowledgeable and gave us quite a bit of information. Extremely kind a...
Megan Delmore Sam was super friendly and worked very efficiently to remove a huge colony of yellow jackets from our soffit…..which was 16 feet off the ground! Recommend very highly, worth every penny!
Laurie Kunert Fantastic service, Timely, Professional, Friendly, Easy to work with, Great value for the price, Good communication. Bye bye yellow jackets!
Scott Klees I had an urgent need at my work location. I texted Sam at 3:30pm. He replied within the hour. We made a plan for meeting to survey and treat the situation. He was on site by 6:15 and done working by 7:00pm. 5 stars for communication, for...
Patrick Clark A+++++! We were so relieved to find Sam the Bee Man! After an unsuccessful removal by a different bee pro, we were feeling helpless until I found Sam. Not all bee experts have the skill to cut into a structure, but Sam does. He used a he...
Jennifer Stafford Professional and friendly to work with. Great communicator and very knowledgeable. Would strongly recommend for any pest control or be removal services. If you have a wasp, they also specialize in that.
Detail Maestro Sam came out the same day I contacted him, and was able to quickly find and remove a yellow jacket nest. He also was able to talk to me about options for treating ants in my backyard, offering varying levels of treatment that felt most...
Ali C I had a bee problem. I messaged Sam this morning at 8:30am. He responded by 8:46am and was at my building by 1pm. Sam is highly knowledgeable and extremely thoughtful. His approach to bee management is taking into account the safety of t...
Nadine Stanton Sam is so knowledgable and is a godsend to us for keeping the ants and spiders away in our home. His membership model is super valuable and reasonably priced and perfect for our needs. He's also just super friendly and takes his time to...
Veronica McOmie Sam's my new pest control go to man. I had a HUGE ant issue in the primary bathroom. Sam came out the same day I called. He assessed the situation, determined the entry point and provided options for getting rid of them. I have signed...
M R Sam was great. When I had a bumble bee hive in my garage, he came out the same day and was able to relocate the hive to a safer location.
ryan spooner Great experience with Sam the Bee Man! Professional and thorough. Highly recommend!
Jessica Reed
Call or Text (206) 817-7782
For the quickest response to your bee, wasp, or pest concern.
Common questions
Wasp removal questions I get asked most around Portland, Oregon
Can you remove a wasp nest without pesticides?
Often, yes. Any nest I can treat as an object comes out physically: aerial hornet nests, paper wasp combs, small nests in shrubs and sheds. A colony deep in a wall void or a ground burrow can't be lifted out, so that one gets a targeted application at the entrance instead.
How much does wasp nest removal cost in Portland?
Call or message me for a quote. Where your job lands depends on how high the nest is, whether it's hidden inside something, and how big the colony has grown by the time you call. I quote on site before I start. Booking several nests together earns a discounted rate.
Can you come out the same day?
Often, yes, anywhere in the Portland metro, depending on where I already am that day. I work alone, so no dispatcher is promising you a window I can't keep. Call or text early and you'll get a straight answer about today versus tomorrow.
What if I don't know what kind of wasp I have?
That's most of my calls. Send a photo of the insect or the nest, or just describe the spot they're flying into and roughly how many. I'll name it before I arrive, which is what decides the approach and the price. Nobody has ever annoyed me by not knowing.
When is wasp season in Portland?
Queens start nests in March and April, colonies build through the summer, and yellow jackets are most active through the hot, dry end of summer. They get more aggressive into fall as the colony's adults begin to die off, which is why August and September are my busiest stretch. Frost ends the colony, and the nest is never reused.
How do I stop wasps from nesting on my house?
Do it in March, before the queens commit to a site. Close gaps in siding and trim, replace torn vent and crawlspace screens, cap open pipe ends, and knock last year's combs off the eaves. It won't be perfect, but it moves the odds a long way.
Do you remove wasp nests inside walls and attics?
Yes, and that's the one I'd rather you didn't take on yourself. Sealing the outside hole pushes the wasps toward the inside of the house, which is how people end up with yellow jackets in a bedroom. I find where the nest sits and deal with the colony there.
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